America's best-selling pickup, promoted in commercials as tough enough for any worksite, is trading in its steel body for one made of aluminum.

The 2015 Ford F-150, which debuts Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and in three other cities, will be lighter than its predecessor by 700 pounds in a bid to boost fuel economy.

The automaker says the aluminum-bodied truck will actually add towing capacity and will be more resistant to dents. Officials are confident the change won't hurt the company in the fiercely competitive market for pickups, in which sales last year grew by 12.5 percent, to 2.2 million, boosted by stronger housing and construction industries.

Analysts agree.

"There may be some initial skepticism about an aluminum body, but I don't see a substantial backlash," said Jeff Schuster, an auto analyst at LMC Automotive. "Truck buyers are well educated and once they understand the properties of high strength aluminum, I think their fears will be eliminated."

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Ford fans in Texas

Houston No. 2: The Houston region, which includes the southern half of Texas, is typically Ford's second-largest sales market for F-series pickups and is sometimes No. 1.

Bigger D: The Dallas region, encompassing the northern part of Texas, is often the No. 1 market.

Sales boom: Ford sold 55,974 trucks in the Houston region last year, 15 percent more than in 2012.

Ongoing growth: December was the 31st consecutive month with year-over-year increases in F-series truck sales in the Houston region.

See the new F-150: Ford's new aluminum-bodied pickup will be on display Jan. 22-26 at the Houston Auto Show at Reliant Center.

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With 39 percent market share, the F-150 has been the best-selling truck for decades. Texas is its No. 1 sales market, and the state inspired the high-end King Ranch model.

Aluminum vs. steel

Moving to a lighter aluminum upper body is an understandable move by Ford, given the federally mandated standards for improved fuel economy, said Eric Lyman, vice president for editorial at ALG, a division of TrueCar, a new car pricing site. Automakers know they have to make big changes, he said.

Aluminum is more expensive than steel, but Lyman said that since the truck market is so competitive and profit margins are relatively higher for trucks, Ford may decide to absorb much of the additional costs.

Pete Friedman, Ford's manager of manufacturing research and the company's technical lead on aluminum, would not say how much more it costs to build an aluminum-bodied truck.

Ford trucks communications manager Doug Scott said the F-150 will remain competitive with rivals on price.

The new model goes on sale during the last three months of the year. New prices have not been announced.

Scott also declined to say how much the lighter construction would improve fuel economy. Those estimates will be released later in the year, he said.

Lyman believes today's pickup drivers will be OK with an aluminum F-150. Most of them care more about fuel efficiency than they do a perception of ruggedness, he said.

The big question, Schuster said, is how much more fuel efficiency will the 2015 F-150 bring. The move to aluminum was a major undertaking in research and development.

"Will it be worth the overall investment?" he said.

Friedman said the 2015 aluminum truck is actually tougher than one made of steel in a number of ways. Its aluminum body may be lighter, but it is thicker than its steel counterpart, he said.

Brand loyalty

The timing is good for Ford to introduce a new F-150, Lyman said, as the sales momentum in the pickup market appears to be carrying over into 2014.

Truck makers are fighting hard to expand in a market where buyers are exceptionally loyal to particular brands, Lyman said.

Toyota introduced its new Tundra in November; GM's Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra were redesigned last summer; and the Dodge Ram got its redo in 2012.

"Now it's Ford's turn," Lyman said.

"It's a classic arms race where they're constantly upping the ante and matching the other's new capabilities," he added.

Ford trucks chief designer Gordon Platto highlighted some of the new features in the 2015 F-150. The interior is 11/2 inches wider and the dashboard offers more smart technology, he said, while the cargo area is lower to make it easier to move things into and out of the truck bed.

Connected to the outside mirrors are spotlights that can be used for camping and working at night, he said.

The grill has shutters that close when the truck is in motion for improved aerodynamics.

The F-150 will offer four engine options.

For more than three decades, the F-150 has been the top-selling truck in the U.S. ALG spokesman Mike Cooperman said its 39 percent market share in 2013 led Silverado, which had 24.6 percent share; Ram, 18.2 percent; Sierra, 9.4 percent; and Tundra, 5.8 percent.

The F-150 and Dodge Ram each picked up about 3 points of market share since 2009, he said.

Later this year, GM will start selling a midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon to compete with the Toyota Tacoma, which has dominated the midsize segment, he said.